Special thanks to
Jim Holst for taking the time to do the measurements on the actual Volvo tool,
Don Foster for the tip on using 2" NPT End Caps, and my buddy Psycho for
helping me set this web page up. I've added some pictures from Art Benstein who
is another one of the Brickboard guys. He did what I should have done - took
pictures while building the tool and while it was on the car. All of the
machining and "on car" pictures are courtesy of Art. Thanks a lot for
the pictures, Art!

After finding out the
cost of a genuine Volvo Trailing Arm Bushing Tool was about $190, I decided to
try to build my own. With the help of the guys mentioned above and a
little time spent in the workshop, I came up with this concoction for under $20.
And you don't need any "special" tools to create it. I found it to be
very sturdy, and after the bushing job was done, there were no real signs of
wear on the parts. Without a doubt, the toughest item to manufacture was the
part of the tool that pushes the bushing out, but even that wasn't really hard.
Just took a little time and patience. By the way, I don't know if it was
the camera, the lighting, or the background, but the parts used are silver
or black colored, not gold colored. Also, Warren Kernaghan asked me to
mention that this tool is used on the 240 series cars, and not the 700/900
series. I'm not sure if it fits all years, but you can take a look at your rear
suspension and determine that.

Some of the people on
the Brickboard asked me to post the
techniques I used to build it, and I'm in their debt for years of help, so here
it is. If you do decide to build the tool, I'd be interested to hear how it
went. You can contact me at the bottom of the page.

NOTE: Some people have
mentioned that they're having problems with the coupler. I don't know what they
are buying, but when you're buying the coupler, take your new bushing with you
and make sure that it fits into the coupler. It should slide in smoothly with a
little wiggle room. The NPT caps should easily screw all the way into the
coupler. If it doesn't, you don't have the right coupler. Yes, I know that a
tapered plug would have a tendency to tighten as it's screwed in, but if you've
got the right coupler, it won't.

Part number unknown, just make
sure it's the 2" coupling, and it 's 2" length (actual
2.125")

Steel City is the mfg and the
name on the box is "Rigid Threaded Conduit Coupler" and it has a
part number of TRC2-1

Cost is about $2.50

See Items B and E in picture
below

Qty.2
2" NPT Steel End caps

Available from Home Depot
Plumbing Section

Part number unknown, don't buy
cast iron. Make sure it can screw into the 2" coupling listed above
with no effort.

Cost is about $2.00

See Items A and C in picture
below

Tools needed to
fabricate bushing tool

Bench Grinder

3/8" drill (better if
you've got a 1/2" drill)

3/8" and 1/2"
w/3/8" shank drill bit

Hacksaw

Dial Caliper

Metal File

2" long 3/8" bolt and
nut if you've got a 3/8" drill

2" long 1/2" bolt and
nut if you've got a 1/2" drill

Fabrication instructions

Item A

Item A) This is the bushing
pusher.

1. Use the hand file on the top of the end cap
to file a flat surface.

Here's Art working on his.

After futzing with the file, Art opted for more power.

2.
If you've got a 1/2" drill, drill a
1/2" inch hole in the center of the cap. If you've only got a 3/8"
drill, drill a 3/8" hole in the center. Try to get the hole as close to
the center as possible. There's some room for slop, but not much. Art had a
couple of methods he used to find the center. And yet
another simpler way to find the center... Dennis Burns noticed that the
inside of the cap has a concave dimple on it. Dennis used that as the center
mark for the cap and drilled it out from the bottom. He said that after
drilling, the hole wasn't centered on the top surface of the cap, but it was
centered to the circumference of the cap, which is the most important
thing. Thanks for the tip, Dennis!

3.
Insert the 2" long 3/8" (or
1/2") bolt so the threads of the bolt are sticking out the top of the
cap. Put the nut on the bolt and tighten it. Put the shaft of the bolt in
the drill chuck and tighten it down.

4. Using your bench grinder, hold the drill with
the end cap and bolt at a right angle to the stone face. The direction of
rotation of the bench grinder is down, so the rotation of the drill with the
end cap will be up. Move the cap back and forth across the face of the stone
until you achieve an outside diameter of 2.184". It's better to make it
a little bigger than smaller. Stop and measure often. This took me about a
half hour to do this. Art came up with a quicker method using an electric
motor and special arbor tool.

Here's part A
mounted up.

Here's the arbor tool he used.

And here's the machining in process. Man, do I love sparks!

5.
With the end cap still in the drill chuck, turn
the bottom of the end cap towards the stone, and put a nice flat surface on
the bottom of the cap. This is the surface that will contact the bushing.
This is what it should look like when it's done.

6.
Remove the bolt from the end cap. If you used a
3/8" drill, use the 1/2" drill bit with the 3/8" shank to
achieve a 1/2" diameter hole in the top of the end cap.

Item B and C

Item B) This is one part of the
bushing receiver

No fabrication necessary. Works as is.

Item C) This is the other part of
the bushing receiver. It screws into Item B.

Follow steps 1 and 2 from Item A.

Drill a 1/2" hole in the center of the
cap.

Item D) This is the bolt that
you'll turn to move the bushing pusher. Grease the threads when you use it.

No fabrication necessary. Works as is.

Item E) This is the piece that
fits between the 2 brackets that hold the bushing to the axle. It keeps the
brackets from bending as you press out the bushing.

Using your hacksaw, (or if you've got a sabre
saw with a metal bit) cut the coupler in half length wise.

The dimension that Jim Holst gave me for the
width (bracket to bracket) of this piece was 2.124". If you want to use
that dimension, you don't have to do any machining to this part. Even though
this is supposed to be a 2" width, it's actually 2.125". I thought
it was a little to tight, so I ground down the edge to 2.100".

Art Benstein mentioned that sometimes this
piece doesn't fit snugly enough to stay on the bracket. He came up with the
idea of using a hose clamp to temporarily hold this piece to the bracket.
Here's a picture Art sent me. Thanks again, Art!

Note: If you check the inside diameter of this
piece against the diameter of the brackets on the axle housing, you'll notice
that the this piece is not wide enough. Not to worry. When you place it between
the brackets, use a hammer to pound it in. It'll bend to the shape of the
bracket.

Item F) The nut on the end of the
8" bolt.

No fabrication necessary. Works as is.

Item G) The washers used at the
head end of the 8" bolt. Grease these well before cranking out the bushing.

No fabrication necessary. Works as is.

Here's the new
bushing installed

Photos once again courtesy of
Art Benstein

Tips and Hints

Number One Hint: Once you've built the tool, don't loan it to Johnny Chan
of Seattle Washington. I loaned mine to him in the beginning of November '02
for the cost of shipping and he hasn't returned it. Doesn't even answer my
email anymore. Apparently, since he couldn't get me to build one for him, he
decided it's within his rights to keep mine. Hopefully, the little twerp
will be on the receiving end of some cosmic retribution.

When you remove the trailing arm, remove the rear bolt first. If you
remove the front first, the rear will tend to slide around when trying to
unbolt it.

The Trailing Arm Bushing Removal tool must be lined up so the edge
of the bushing pusher (Item A) is centered on the bushing. You may have to
remove the steel tube from the old bushing to do this. You can use the Tool
to do this. Remove Item A and use a half inch drive socket. As you torque
down, the steel tube will push out.

Item C can be screwed in or out to adjust the depth of the bolt.

Don't worry that the bushing receiver is only 2" long. Once you get
the old bushing out about an inch to an inch and a half, you can wiggle it
out the rest of the way.

Be sure the amount of overhang for the new bushing on both sides of the
bracket is the same as the old bushing you removed.

Use a little dish soap as a lubricant during installation of the new
bushing

An impact gun and penetrating oil makes bushing removal easier, but it can
be done with regular old 1/2" breaker bar

Some people have said that they have had to remove some of the threads on
item B (bushing receiver) to allow the old bushing to fit into it during
removal. I had no problem with mine. I suggest you take your new bushing
with you when you buy the receiver (coupler) and make sure it fits.

When you install the new bushing, make sure that the head of the grade 8
bolt is towards the differential. If you put it in from the other (wheel)
side, you'll never get the bolt out when you're done installing the bushing.
This tip is from Dennis who didn't leave his last name.

My Disclaimer: Always use safety glasses, jack stands. I am not
responsible for improper use of this tool. This is not an
original Volvo Tool. I make no claim as to the quality of construction or it's
sturdiness. I just know it worked for me.